Nutrition in Social Media

Amanda Dolan, Capital BlueCross registered dietitian
| 03.24.14

I just read an article about nutrition in social media and it got me thinking about all of the nutrition information I see come across my Facebook feed on a daily basis. How can you be sure what you are reading is true, when there is so much rubbish out there? A lot of what you see about nutrition in social media is not evidenced based. In fact a survey done in 2011 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics http://www.eatright.org/nutritiontrends/ showed that most people are getting their nutrition information from TV, magazines, and the internet. Shocking! Dietitians were almost last on this list.

Dietitians are the experts in food and nutrition. We know more about food and nutrition than any other profession yet typically, we aren't the ones that you go to for your nutrition information. Instead of trusting a TV figurehead for nutrition information, consider someone who is highly educated in nutrition and has years of experience in the nutrition field.

How can you be sure that what you are hearing about nutrition is fact not fiction?

If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

If you are to eliminate entire food groups like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and heart healthy fats then it’s not legit.

If you are recommended to not exercise, then it is probably dangerous.

If you are recommended to eat a single food over and over, you’re missing out on nourishment.

If they promise that weight loss will be “quick and easy”, you’ll gain the weight back and more.

Where can you go when you have questions about nutrition, or you are questioning something you heard about nutrition? Below are a few organizations/websites that have good, trustworthy information – dietitian approved!

Pennsylvania Nutrition Education Network

Health Castle

MyPlate

Be picky when listening to nutrition information from others. Weed out all of the unreliable information, ask a Registered Dietitian, research it for yourself using reliable sources, and most times go with your gut.